DREAMS OR IMPOSSIBILITIES?
Some of us have dreams, some of us have impossible dreams!! The press continue to have a field day about broken Spanish dreams as they call them.
One newspaper found an example of a couple with their dreams “broken” which makes you think – was this the best example they could find? Fancy leaving behind a job in the UK with a £400,000 salary, a spouse in a good job plus 2 teenage children!! Did they not think that replacing their kind of work might be difficult in any country? As for children not settling into school….well of course it was going to be hard even if they already had a working knowledge of Spanish. School when you are a teenager can always be a problem, never mind taking on another language as well. Leaving behind friends is always going to be difficult. Had they moved from North London to a country house in this country, this could quite possibly have caused problems, let alone in Spain. It takes time to adjust. Did they think that the added bonus of sunshine would make changes easier?
In the same article, the Spanish Government was blamed for “Luring British pensioners into spending their life savings on illegal homes which could be demolished any day” The inference being that most homes built in Spain and purchased by the British are illegal! This is not the case. Thousands of homes have been bought by many nationalities, including a large number of British, which are totally legal and have caused no problems. It would be like saying that in this country all newly-built houses are prone to the dangers of flooding because some new houses were flooded out over the winter.
An interesting survey was quoted which in number was all of 329 people from UK, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, The Netherlands and France who had relocated to Spain, Portugal, Greece and Cyprus – about how happy they were. It was revealed that they score an average of 7.3 on a scale of 1-10 compared to 7.5 by those who stayed in their own country, when asked how happy they were. Well what a big difference! Also, how many people do you know who are 75% or so happy with their lot in the UK ? Let’s wait for the impending UK General Election to find out!
It is also relevant to point out that this was a very small survey, such that it may or may not be representative, which wasn’t just talking about Spain and the British but many other countries and nationalities! So how many were to do specifically and only with Spain and the British? Of course, the survey could just have been badly reported?
We are trying to find out and will report back.
So 1 in 4 Brits have returned home. So it could have been reported that 3 in 4 are staying where they are – but does that sell newspapers? OK some may have no choice, but others are staying put because that is what they choose to do. It is often stated that people have problems in Spain because of price rises, as if a similar thing hasn’t happened in this country.
We don’t look at it with rose-tinted specs either, but let’s keep to the facts and tell the truth as best we can. Of course there are problems in Spain, as there are in all countries. Better though to diagnose them as accurately as possible, report them as honestly as possible – then address them with knowledge and experience, so as to find a relevant and long-lasting solution, rather than a short-term expedient which enables you to sell today’s newspaper.
So, what about the people still buying in Spain, nobody is making them do it!!
Hopefully they will have done their homework and will have realistic expectations of what a new home in Spain, whether for permanent or holiday living, will offer them.
Remember wherever you relocate, you are still going to be you and not all your problems will be solved because you have a new house, even if it is in a sunny climate! So if you think a move will solve all your problems, think carefully then go ahead with your dream.
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